Items tagged with Networking

Wireless security has always been something of a problem. Basic WEP encryption, for example, has been beaten so soundly that it’s a wonder device makers even offer it as a security option anymore. Fortunately, we’ve had WiFi protected access 2 (WPA2) keeping our networks safe--but perhaps no longer. According to Phys.org, researchers at universities in the UK and Greece discovered a way to crack WPA2, and apparently it’s not all that difficult. ASUS RT-N66U router The researchers published their work in the International Journal of Information and Computer Security, where they...Read more...

Most of the country has been gazing jealously at the Google Fiber rollouts in three lucky locales, but as many as 34 cities in 9 metro areas will be joining the fun relatively soon. “Now that we’ve learned a lot from our Google Fiber projects in Kansas City, Austin and Provo, we want to help build more ultra-fast networks. So we’ve invited cities in nine metro areas around the U.S.—34 cities altogether—to work with us to explore what it would take to bring them Google Fiber,” wrote Milo Medin, VP of Google Access Services. The official updates about which cities...Read more...

It's not too often that a vendor chooses to remain silent about vulnerabilities plaguing its product(s), and it's even rarer to remain silent when fixes are available. For those using N or AC-based ASUS routers, though, it's important to take note: A number of rather serious vulnerabilities might exist if your router's not running the latest firmware. Most of the vulnerabilities have to do with unauthorized access to networked drives being made possible, either through basic Samba connections or otherwise (lighthttpd, for example). Further, there's the risk of someone being able to entirely bypass...Read more...

Hot on the heels of a 'TheMoon' exploit proof-of-concept being released, Linksys has both confirmed its existence, and also offers up some initial guidance. 'TheMoon' is a self-replicating piece of malware that targets a wide-range of Linksys routers, all of which can utilize a remote access feature. If this feature is enabled, a vulnerability effectively activates that allows someone to bypass the router's authentication system in order to gain access to its admin panel. On the flipside, if this feature is disabled (its official name is "Remote Management Access"), then this vulnerability...Read more...

Amid poor sales, Motorola Solutions is said to be looking for a buyer for its wireless LAN business. The firm is finding it tough to compete with the likes of Cisco Systems, Aruba Networks, and HP, and is even having a tough time going toe-to-toe with smaller competitors like Ubiquit Networks. Given Motorola's struggles, the company is just looking to move on at this point. Motorola has been much more successful serving the U.S. government and other enterprise customers with communication services. That's where Motorola would like to focus its time and energy, as well as the public safety division,...Read more...

Throw "world's fastest" into the mix, and you'll catch our attention. Asus has done just that today, announcing that the planet's most speedy router is now available for pre-order. Usually, you probably wouldn't go out of your way to get in line early for a networking product, but the world's fastest router may be impressive enough to justify the buy. The RT-AC68U Wireless-AC1900 Dual-band router is capable of delivering speeds up to 1.3Gbps over 802.11ac and 600Mbps over 802.11n thanks to Broadcom TurboQAM technology. There's a dual-core processor inside, dual USB ports, and AiRadar -- which intelligently...Read more...

Apple's WWDC keynote today focused primarily on software, as well it should have, but a bit of hardware news also made it out. On the networking side, the company's long-standing AirPort line received a new AirPort Extreme. The design is actually massively different than anything we've seen before, with a taller and slimmer body replacing the flatter version that came before. From a technical standpoint, the ability to support 802.11ac transfers is all new, promising up to 3x faster local connections and transfers with hardware that supports it. There are six total antennas, three for the 2.4GHz...Read more...

Will the Internet ever truly be "fast enough?" Doubtful. In an effort to keep the bytes flowing at a breakneck rate, six of the world's leading research and education (R&E) networks and two commercial partners today demonstrated for the first time a Transatlantic 100 gigabits-per-second (Gbps or one billion bits per second) transmission link for research and education between North America and Europe. You read that correctly -- 100Gbps. The 100 Gbps link, called the Advanced North Atlantic 100G Pilot project (ANA-100G) will be used for engineering and testing the new transmission link, applications,...Read more...

Google Fiber really seems to be picking up steam. After somewhat unexpectedly lining up Austin, TX and Provo, UT, Google has gradually begun adding fiberhoods adjacent to and near the initial Google Fiber launch site in Kansas City, including Shawnee, Kansas and Grandview, Missouri. Google announced the next fiberhood, which will be in Gladstone, Missouri after the city council there voted to bring the gigabit Internet service to town. Google did not announce a timeline and as usual stated that it will take some time to plan out, engineer, and execute the rollout in a new location. This marks the...Read more...

It’s router time, baby. D-Link has a new quartet of them, and they all sport 802.11ac technology, which is the next generation of WiFi speed, which will enable more flexible options for streaming movies, gaming online, and other activities. "Today's average home now has more than 15 devices, oftentimes with multiple iPads, iPhones, as well as Android phones and tablets," said Daniel Kelley, vice president of marketing, D-Link Systems, Inc. That’s a lot of devices fighting for bandwidth. D-Link's AC router family D-Link’s AC routers feature advanced remote network management and...Read more...

Here’s one more thing you can fret about: Security evaluator ISE has discovered that a number of popular SOHO routers and WiFi access points are vulnerable to hacking. The firm calls the vulnerability a “critical security” problem, which is to say that a remote hacker could take over a router and change configuration settings or a local hacker could also skip the authentication process, and in both cases, the hacker would be able view and even change traffic on the network. The firm looked at 13 different off-the-shelf devices to evaluate them for security vulnerabilities. What...Read more...

Ready to nerd out? Great. If words like "beamforming" really get your geek juices flowing, you'll love the latest news release from Netgear. The networking giant has just announced that its R6300 WiFi Router and A6200 WiFi USB Adapter now have Beamforming+. It's available via a free firmware update. The new router firmware improves WiFi performance and range when connecting to other WiFi devices. You'll see even more improvement in WiFi performance and reliability when you connect your R6300 Router to a PC or laptop configured with an A6200 Adapter or with an 802.11ac device with Beamforming support....Read more...

If you had any concerns that Facebook would begin to rest on its laurels after becoming a public company, let those concerns be put to rest. The company has just announced the hiring of a new Chief Technology Officer -- obviously an extraordinarily important role in a tech-driven outfit. Mike Schroepfer is the man taking the role, but the interesting twist is where he's coming from. He's actually an ex-Mozilla employee, so he knows a thing or two about coding, the Web, the cloud, and how people interact on the Internet. Facebook is actually replacing two interim CTOs (Cory Ondrejka and Mike Vernal),...Read more...

According to a recent report, around half of all Super Bowl commercials featured Twitter in some form or fashion. Perhaps it was just a hashtag logo at the end, or perhaps it was that iconic bird icon beside the company's Twitter handle. Regardless of the particulars, it's quite clear that Twitter has exploded, and is most certainly not reserved as just a niche, techy-only social network. Moreover, researchers are increasingly turning to Twitter to size up how well television shows are doing, and how the majority are reacting. To no one's surprise, Twitter itself is taking notice. In a blog post...Read more...